GENERAL ASSESSMENT

Browsing through the ePortfolio assignments for this class was an interesting experience of getting to know fellow UPOU students from different places, diverse backgrounds, and varying grasps of multimedia.

In general, there was a satisfactory extent – with room for improvement – to which the ePortfolios were able to display student capabilities. Evaluating site design, content organization, and writing style helped me gauge skill sets and effort (as well the lack of it) among classmates with few (or without) sample works and/or professional background. As for the working students, many have mentioned their work in different professional fields, both in and out of the multimedia realm.

To fully display work capabilities, I believe that putting in sufficient information (or resumes, if available) and sample works can bring out the potential benefit of an online portfolio. I’ve observed, however, that the Sample Works page would usually contain photography, almost as a default. Although I am aware that not everyone in the class has work experience and that some do specialize in photography, it was a bit of a rare occurrence to find extensive work descriptions even among students who had work outside of photography – resulting in missed opportunities (for now, I hope).

The blog aspect in particular, had a couple of strange interpretations; some were short half-baked posts (which I wasn’t sure were even considered blog entries) and some seemed written from a one-take, unedited thought process. I also found it odd that some of the MMS 100 pages simply contained a paraphrased or copied version of the course modules and/or links, but the difference in interpretation of the assignment instruction was somewhat interesting. There were some ePortfolios that had empty webpages and/or unorganized blog entries that could have used a bit more effort (and editing) put into it, but despite that, most portfolios successfully satisfied the basic requirement and there were a few standouts that went further in terms of presentation and content.

Despite the small quantity, standout ePortfolios were able to deliver quite well in terms of quality; there were well-thought site designs, organized content, decent blog entries – and in some cases, professionalism that could invite potential academic peers, employers, and/or collaborators.

In browsing through the sites, I came across certain classmates who had an advanced grasp in the field of multimedia; in terms of professional experience, Erwin Uñada’s resume contained advanced technical skills in networking technology, and Reggie Geografo (who was part of my list of standouts) had an impressive portfolio on web design projects while also showing immense talent even in his non-professional work on visual arts and photography. There were also a couple of very young students who showed notable potential in their sample works, such as Ice Mercader and Lichelle Carm Santos. In other aspects of the assignment (particularly the blog), I took note of good use of subheadings from one writer in particular, Angelica Craig.

Among the upperclassmen and/or students who have incorporated other MMS subjects into their ePortfolios, Christine Candelario’s interesting work background and business ventures stood out for me, despite some points of improvements in the web design and blog content structure. I’ve visited accessible ePortfolios from upperclassmen outside of the class as well and found Alexander Bonife’s background equally notable and unique, considering the wider customizability advantage the Mahara platform has over Google Sites. The assignment-based blog entries for higher MMS courses also peaked my interest on what’s in store for me as a BAMS student.

In comparison to the rest of the class, I would say that my ePortfolio contains more of a professional feel, especially with my extensive work background and how I’ve chosen to organize and present it. I have briefly laid out my goals and interests both as an artist and a student and sufficiently presented my capabilities well – as someone who values good work ethic, I’m proud of my output.

Despite this sign of progress, I will remain open to further improvement, especially in coming up with more organized and creative blog entries. There are only a few sites that I consider standouts overall, but there are a few that stood out in certain aspects – some in design, some in writing, and so on – and incorporating those standout qualities into my notes of improvement can reap great benefits for my academics and my professional career in the long run if I use the online portfolio platform to its full potential. Overall, getting to know the diverse community that I get to share this process and journey with – through creating, evaluating, and exploring ePortfolios – has been a great collective learning experience.

DIRECT PEER REVIEW

For my direct peer review, I have chosen ePortfolios of academic peers across three levels of relation – (1) professor/instructor, (2) upperclassman, (3) batchmate – that I consider good examples and/or standouts in terms of most or all aspects of the assignment. The reasons for my choice of peers being: (1) seeing differences and similarities in work experience, content and presentation among these three peers, and (2) having peer category variation in selecting standout ePortfolios.

Al Francis D. Librero

https://sites.google.com/upou.edu.ph/allibrero/

For my top pick, I consider Sir Al’s ePortfolio as my most comprehensive reference point when it comes to ePortfolios.

Sir Al’s academic interests are mentioned concisely in his profile and his goals as an educator and creator in the realm of multimedia are laid out very well through each of his courses and projects, where there are clear, organized descriptions and objectives of his work. He shows an extensive body of work in his many chosen fields – with projects that range from photography and audio portfolios to academic seminars to eco-sustaining computer technology (Biomodd) – that shows immense discipline, creativity, and quality work, with which I am utterly impressed and inspired to take cues from. In terms of blog content, the topics are well-chosen, relevant to his teachings, and interesting for educators and students alike. Every entry seems purposeful, organized, and straightforward without being too short or abrupt. As for the site design, I’m completely satisfied with how the pages are categorized and arranged. The content is easy to navigate through, and the clean look of the site is appealing and professional – the way the theme complements with his website makes it even better.

My only minor suggestion for the ePortfolio would be adding direct links to published scholarly works found in the curriculum vitae page, for better accessibility most likely for potential academic peers who would be interested in using the published material as a research study reference. Other than that, I think it’s extremely comprehensive and I consider it one of the best examples of ePortfolios for academic work that I can learn from.

Alexander Bonife

http://eportfolios.upou.edu.ph/user/view.php?id=618

Among the very few old ePortfolios that I was able to access, this was the one that stood out the most for me. Aside from the fact that Alexander’s portfolio contained impressive work experience in mass media (which was my initial career interest before I pursued my current line of work) and blog entries in various MMS courses, I got hooked by his unique introduction video – which was an assignment for MMS 100.

From the get-go, I was impressed by his work – he was (1) a traveler who explored various countries, (2) a social media marketing consultant/manager, (3) a writer and producer for both TV and film, (4) and even a yoga instructor! His goals and motivations as a BAMS student are peppered throughout his blog entries; he puts in pieces of what he wants to improve on as a multimedia creator. However, he might not be able to fully convey that to site visitors who don’t have much time to read most of the entries.

Majority of the blog can use better transition points such as subheadings, as I found that the thought can abruptly shift from one idea to another. The wide spacing between paragraphs also becomes a bit distracting, at least for me. Regardless, I found the assignment-based blog entries more straightforward and easy to read. In terms of the way he arranged the site, I had a bit of difficulty finding some consistency with the labelling; under his portfolios, there was a mix of his professional work, pages for single assignments, and combination of projects and blog entries arranged by subject. Since there were a lot of MMS courses incorporated into the site, I also felt like there was lack of categorization that separated blog entries from assignments, per subject (and there were also blog entries of a higher MMS course under the wrong subject, i.e. MMS 172 under the MMS 100 category). It looked organized at first glance, but as I dug deeper, I got a bit disoriented with the labelling and the organization.

I would suggest reviewing categorization and fine-tuning the way the site is organized, for better site navigation. Blog entries can be further improved by putting in better transition points and spotting minor capitalization and punctuation errors. I also feel as if more brief information can be added to the work portfolio page. Overall, there were a couple of flaws but I still think the ePortfolio was unique and was able to sufficiently convey Alexander’s capabilities.

Reggie Geografo

https://sites.google.com/up.edu.ph/reggiegeografo/

Reggie’s ePortfolio was one of the few among the class that I considered advanced in terms of presentation and collection of work. Starting with the most impressive feat, his sample works showed great talent as I mentioned in my general assessment; the web design projects showed his advanced skill and knowledge in multimedia and programming (beyond what is expected of a BAMS freshman), he had good skills in photography, and his quality work in sketching is probably one of the best I’ve seen from an amateur’s standpoint – that talent even shows through his clean-looking, easy-to-navigate site interface and design.

In laying out his goals as a BAMS student, there isn’t much elaboration or specificities regarding his academic interests, even in the profile page, but there was a brief mention of one of his reasons for enrolling in the course because of his desire to improve in photography, and I get a general idea of his aim to absorb more knowledge, as mentioned in his blog entries. So far, I would say that his thoughts are decently communicated through the blog, but there’s not much to read up on since the entries are quite short.

With the site organization, it would have been better to incorporate the blog into the MMS 100 page in order to avoid redundancy. I also found that there are links to two versions of the blog entries – one on Google Sites and one on Wordpress – which I find unnecessary; it would be more convenient and less time-consuming to pick one instead. Aside from that, there’s an empty sub-page in his sample works which I think he should either fill with some content or hide in the meantime.

My other suggestions include listing down blog topics that can inspire more creative thought and make every entry count. With regards to academic goals and motivations as a BAMS student, he can briefly lay that out in his profile introduction to balance out the personal touch (i.e. “photo test,” civil status information, etc.). All in all, I found his work experience impressive and was one of the few ePortfolios in the class that mostly gave out a professional vibe.